From www.barbermotorsports.com:
WERA Event at Barber Motorsports Park Postponed
(Birmingham, AL)- In observance for the Easter weekend, Cornerspeed School/WERA open practice on Friday, April 18 and the WERA weekend event has been postponed until further notice. The 2003 WERA Sportsman Series is a motorcycle club series that was originally scheduled for this weekend, April 19-20. Rescheduling options are being discussed.
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By Beth Wyse
Mat Mladin was the fastest rider Monday during the first day of a three-day AMA team test at the revised Road Atlanta road course in Braselton, Georgia.
Yoshimura Suzuki is hosting the test and is sharing the track with the factory Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha teams as well as Ducati Austin, Graves Yamaha and Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki.
Australian rider Jamie Stauffer is present and riding for the Yoshimura Suzuki team.
Most of the riders are concentrating on bike set-up and testing various tire compounds.
Mladin was one of the first riders on track in the morning, wasting little time in getting his Suzuki GSX-R1000 up to speed. The bike had never been on the track before, but as the day went on he dropped is time to a high-1:24.
Honda’s Miguel Duhamel spent most of the day working on the set-up of his Supersport Honda CBR600RR. Duhamel said he feels his RC51 Superbike is already strong and needs less work. Duhamel’s best Superbike lap time of 1:25.8 was off Mladin’s pace, but Duhamel only rode eight laps on his RC51 Monday.
Duhamel’s teammate Ben Bostrom ran a low-1:25 on his RC51. It is his first time riding at Road Atlanta in four years.
Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Steve Rapp tested both his 2002 Suzuki GSX-R1000 and his new 2003-model Suzuki GSX-R1000 Formula Xtreme racebikes and found his older bike more comfortable and better handling on the first day of the test.
Eric Bostrom worked to dial in new chassis parts and get both his Kawasaki ZX-7RRs set-up identically.
The test marks the first time that the AMA riders have been to Road Atlanta since a new configuration for turn three was added. The riders had mixed reactions to the course change Monday, and most riders said they needed to spend more time riding the revised track before deciding whether or not the change was for the better.
There were no crashes or serious on-track incidents during the first day of the test.
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By David Swarts
The WERA Sportsman regional race event scheduled to take place at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama April 18-20 has been canceled due to community pressure over noise from the facility. The WERA race would have been the first motorcycle race ever at the state of the art, $54-million facility.
“We got a call from them at 4:00 p.m. Saturday (April 12) during our National Endurance event at Carolina Motorsports Park telling us our event was canceled,” Evelyne Clarke, President and CEO of WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, Inc. told Roadracingworld.com Monday. “It is Easter weekend, and they are up against a lot of neighborhood pressure over noise. I think they (the track) are setting a very bad precedent. The people who shut them down, now they know they can shut them down.”
Clarke said WERA tried negotiating with the track by proposing quiet time hours on Sunday, as used at other racetracks, and even offered to not start any race engines until after noon on Sunday, but WERA efforts to save the event were unsuccessful.
WERA had 155 racers pre-entered for the inaugural Barber event, which is usually 30 percent of an actual race event turnout, according to Clarke. With each of the projected 325 racers entering an average of 2.1 races for a total 1085 race entries, WERA stands to lose a great deal of money over the cancellation.
“It is huge for us, very, very difficult,” said Clarke, who added she and her staff were in the process of personally calling each pre-entered racer to inform them of the cancellation and discuss refunds and credits.
Barber Motorsports Park management is trying to give WERA another date during the year, says Clarke, but fitting it into the WERA race schedule will be difficult.
The WERA National event scheduled for September 12-14 at Barber Motorsports Park is “still a go,” according to Clarke.
The Team Hammer Advanced Riding School and Talent Search clinic event scheduled for Tuesday, April 22 is still scheduled to take place.
The AMA Superbike season finale, scheduled for September 19-21 at Barber Motorsports Park, could not be confirmed with AMA Pro Racing at post time.
Calls seeking comment from Barber Motorsports Park were unreturned at post time.
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By Beth Wyse
Tray Batey continued his winning streak in the WERA National Challenge Series, taking three victories in the second round of the season, held at Carolina Motorsports Park. Batey won 750cc Superstock on his Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R750, Heavyweight Twins on his Suzuki TL-R1000, and Pirelli Formula One on a Suzuki GSX-R1000.
David Weber kept Batey from breaking away from the field in 750cc Superstock, keeping the same pace for the ten-lap race. Weber finished second on his Suzuki GSX-R750.
In Heavyweight Twins, Batey built an early lead that diminished when he ran off track due to fluid spilled in a turn. Bradley Champion was able to close in on his Aprilia Mille but could never pass Batey for the win.
Batey’s third victory came easier than the first two, as he pulled away from the rest of the Formula One field early and was never challenged.
Vesrah Suzuki’s Mark Junge earned two wins. His first came in Open Superstock, where he got his Suzuki GSX-R1000 out front early and pulled away. Junge’s second victory was in 600cc Superstock on the Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R600. Junge jumped the start, but it was red flagged when four riders crashed in turn one on the first lap. None of the riders were seriously injured, but oil had to be cleared from the track. On the restart, Junge took the lead and held on for the win.
David Weber took his first expert win in 600cc Superbike, riding the XT Racing Suzuki GSX-R600. Weber followed Moore for most of the race, finally passing for the lead on the final lap.
Moore held off Weber two races later, when he won 750cc Superbike on his Suzuki GSX-R750. Moore was able to put a comfortable gap between himself and Weber and held the lead the entire time.
Bradley Champion continued to dominate Lightweight Twins. He put his Suzuki SV650 far ahead of the field as usual, and Jeff Walker and Martin Musil trailed in second and third, also riding SV650s.
In 125cc GP, Steve Genter took the checkered flag first on his Honda RS125. The field was sparse, with four bikes starting and only three finishing.
Derek King won Formula Two on his TSR Honda 250, beating Walker and Genter easily.
The final four races of the day had to be shortened to six laps because of numerous red flags and long breaks between races to clean up fluid on the track.
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By Beth Wyse
Vesrah Suzuki took their second consecutive win in the Dunlop/WERA National Endurance Series in round two, a four-hour race held at Carolina Motorsports Park. Mark Junge, Tray Batey and John Jacobi shared the Suzuki GSX-R1000.
The Suzuki GSX-R600 of Army of Darkness finished second overall and first in Mediumweight Superbike, four laps down, with riders Sam Fleming, Mark Crozier and Jeff Walker. Team Xtreme was third, with Billy Ethridge and Mark Edwards on a Suzuki GSX-R1000.
Batey took the lead at the start of the race, with Greg Moore on the Team Xtreme II Suzuki GSX-R750 keeping his pace in the opening laps. Batey was forced to ride faster to pull away. His lead grew as Army of Darkness moved into second.
Team Xtreme had to hold off Team Velocity Racing, who finished just 9.951 seconds behind them. Team Velocity was fourth overall and first in Mediumweight Superstock. Their Suzuki GSX-R600 was ridden by Chuck Ivey, Steve Breckenridge and Reuben Frankenfield.
The Bluemoto/Jeff Wyler Suzuki GSX-R750 of Mike Scruggs and Jeff Muskopf won Heavyweight Superstock. The team finished fifth overall.
Despite crashing in the final hour of the race, Tight Squeeze II won Lightweight Superbike on a Suzuki SV650. Chris Normand and Martin Musil shared the bike.
There were no red flags during the race.
RESULTS:
1. Vesrah Suzuki (Mark Junge/Tray Batey/John Jacobi), Suz GSX-R1000, Heavyweight Superbike, 143 laps
2. Army of Darkness (Sam Fleming/Mark Crozier/Jeff Walker), Suz GSX-R600, Mediumweight Superbike, 139 laps
3. Team Xtreme (Mark Edwards/Billy Ethridge), Suz GSX-R1000, Heavyweight Superbike, 136 laps
4. Team Velocity Racing (Chuck Ivey/Steve Breckenridge/Reuben Frankenfield), Suz GSX-R600, Mediumweight Superstock, 136 laps
5. BlueMoto/Jeff Wyler (Mike Scruggs/Jeff Muskopf), Suz GSX-R750, Heavyweight Superstock, 135 laps
6. Velocity Crew Racing (Kevin Perkins/Paul Youngman/John Joseph), Suz GSX-R600, Mediumweight Superbike, 134 laps
7. Neighbor of the Beast (Melissa Berkoff/Scott Fisher/Roman Kilgore), Yam YZF R6, Mediumweight Superstock, 134 laps
8. Ricochet Racing (Brian Suffridge/Lee Fields/Greg Ford/C.R. Gittere), Suz GSX-R600, Mediumweight Superstock, 134 laps
9. Team Chicago (Dan Schmitt/Phil Caudill), Yam YZF R6, Mediumweight Superstock, 132 laps
10. Taylor Knapp-Ray C’s Racing (Dave Knapp/Fritz Kling), Yam YZF R6, Mediumweight Superstock, 132 laps
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
British Superbike Race One Results:
1. Michael Rutter, Ducati, 25 laps, 28:09.817
2. Shane Byrne, Ducati, -5.156 seconds
3. John Reynolds, Suzuki, -11.707 seconds
4. Steve Plater, Honda, -18.229 seconds
5. Glen Richards, Kawasaki, -19.146 seconds
6. John Crawford, Ducati, -19.195 seconds
7. Paul Young, Yamaha, -19.930 seconds
8. Gary Mason, Yamaha, -20.909 seconds
9. Scott Smart, Kawasaki, -27.388 seconds
10. Jon Kirkham, Yamaha, -27.860 seconds
Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, DNF
Mark Heckles, Honda, DNF
Seam Emmett, Ducati, DNF
Steve Hislop, Yamaha, DNF
Dean Ellison, Ducati, DNF
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
British Superbike Race Two Results:
1. Shane Byrne, Ducati, 20 laps, 22:18.701
2. Sean Emmett, Ducati, -9.360 seconds
3. John Reynolds, Suzuki, -14.400 seconds
4. Gary Mason, Yamaha, -17.795 seconds
5. Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, -23.052 seconds
6. John Crawford, Ducati, -24.230 seconds
7. Mark Heckles, Honda, -28.751 seconds
8. Steve Plater, Honda, -29.128 seconds
9. Paul Young, Yamaha, -35.267 seconds
10. Scott Smart, Kawasaki, -35.593 seconds
Michael Rutter, Ducati, DNF
Glen Richards, Kawasaki, DNF
Steve Hislop, Yamaha, DNF
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
24 Hours of Le Mans Final Results:
1. Castrol Suzuki 1 (Morrison/Dobe/Vincent), Suzuki GSX-R1000, 817 laps, 2217.34 miles*
2. Castrol Suzuki 2 (Bayle/Gimbert/Dussauge), Suzuki GSX-R1000, 815 laps, 2211.91 miles
3. Free Bike Performance 12 (Donischal/Protat/Gomez), Yamaha YZF-R7, 801 laps, 2173.91 miles
4. Igol/ART Kawasaki (DaCosta/Moreira/Devoyan), Kawasaki ZX-9R, 799 laps, 2168.49 miles
5. Team Dap Moto 91 (Lerat-Vanstaen/Jond/Cortinovis), Suzuki, 797 laps, 2163.06 miles
6. GMT 94 (Scarnato/Holon/Jerman), Yamaha YZF-R1, 784 laps, 2127.78 miles
7. JLC Moto Ulteamatum 45 (Baratin/Thuret/Cheron), Suzuki, 784 laps + 15.027 seconds, 2127.78 miles
8. Team Motostart Racing 86 (Boutin/Briere/Loustalet), Yamaha, 783 laps, 2125.06 miles
9. National Motos (Jond/Bonhuil/Ulmann), Honda CBR954RR, 779 laps, 2114.21 miles
10. Junior Team Suzuki 72 (Dietrich/Tangre/Bovan), Suzuki, 778 laps, 2111.49 miles
*New record distance, beat old record of 2109.24 miles set in 1996
Copyright 2003, www.mcnews.com.au, used with permission:
By Trevor Hedge
www.mcnews.com.au
2003 Australian Superbike Championship – Round 1 – Sunday Report
After taking pole position in both the Superbike and Supersport classes during qualifying on Saturday, Newcastle rider Kevin Curtain then continued his domination to take a perfect record of wins from the opening round of the Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championship in South Australia today.
The 36 year old Nikon Yamaha rider recorded three from three in the premier Superbike class and then backed that up with the same record in the three Supersport races. He also leaves the 2.6km Mallala circuit with lap records in both classes. He lowered reigning champion Shawn Giles’ Production Superbike lap record from 1-minute-08.08secs down to a new mark of 1-minute-07.88 seconds. Curtain already held the Supersport lap record but lowered it to the new record of 1m09.73 on the 600cc Nikon Yamaha R6.
Curtain is a four time Australian champion, the only rider to have held Australian Championship Titles in three different classes. Production Superbike (1998), Supersport (1996, 2000) and 250 Production (1995). Not bad for an exhaust fitter who never went road racing until the ripe old age of 27. Curtain is now, of course, a full time professional racer, and if this seasons early form is anything to go by, he could be the first man to win both a Superbike and Supersport Championship in the same year.
But Kevin is already eyeing bigger and better things. “At the moment I’m working on trying to get another ride somewhere overseas next year and to do that you’ve got to win.
“I don’t want to relax back in Australia, the competition while at a high level it’s not the same as at world level. So when you’re in this environment you can get lazy and that’s not what I want to do.
“So I’m just going to push myself to the max’ when ever I get on a bike in Australia.
“I’m working really hard at the moment and I’m not doing it easy but I’m just managing to keep in front of them and that’s all I’ve got to do.”
Young Victorian Craig Coxhell (Suzuki) took second place overall in the Superbike class after some titanic battles with his team-mate Shawn Giles and Daniel Stauffer (Yamaha).
This is the opening round of five for the national road racing series which this year also visits Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales.
The Championship next heads to Phillip Island for round two at Victoria’s magnificent Phillip Island circuit on May 16-18.
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
British Superbike Dunlop Super 12 (Superpole) Results:
1. Shane Byrne, Ducati, 1:05.875
2. Michael Rutter, Ducati, 1:05.962
3. Sean Emmett, Ducati, 1:06.284
4. John Reynolds, Suzuki, 1:06.429
5. Glen Richards, Kawasaki, 1:06.667
6. John Crawford, Ducati, 1:06.832
7. Dean Ellison, Ducati, 1:06.931
8. Mark Heckles, Honda, 1:06.969
9. Steve Hislop, Yamaha, 1:06.988
10. Gary Mason, Yamaha, 1:07.091
11. Steve Plater, Honda, 1:07.134
12. Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, crashed in Superpole
British Supersport Qualifying Results:
1. Stuart Easton, Ducati, 1:08.720
2. Leon Haslam, Ducati, 1:08.724
3. Simon Andrews, Yamaha, 1:09.168
4. Karl Harris, Honda, 1:09.250
5. Tom Sykes, Yamaha, 1:09.473
6. Rob Frost, Kawasaki, 1:09.491
7. Adrian Coates, 1:09.570
8. John Crockford, 1:09.573
9. Michael Laverty, 1:09.592
10. John McGuiness, 1:09.655
13. Craig Jones, Triumph
15. Jim Moodie, Triumph
From www.barbermotorsports.com:
WERA Event at Barber Motorsports Park Postponed
(Birmingham, AL)- In observance for the Easter weekend, Cornerspeed School/WERA open practice on Friday, April 18 and the WERA weekend event has been postponed until further notice. The 2003 WERA Sportsman Series is a motorcycle club series that was originally scheduled for this weekend, April 19-20. Rescheduling options are being discussed.
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By Beth Wyse
Mat Mladin was the fastest rider Monday during the first day of a three-day AMA team test at the revised Road Atlanta road course in Braselton, Georgia.
Yoshimura Suzuki is hosting the test and is sharing the track with the factory Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha teams as well as Ducati Austin, Graves Yamaha and Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki.
Australian rider Jamie Stauffer is present and riding for the Yoshimura Suzuki team.
Most of the riders are concentrating on bike set-up and testing various tire compounds.
Mladin was one of the first riders on track in the morning, wasting little time in getting his Suzuki GSX-R1000 up to speed. The bike had never been on the track before, but as the day went on he dropped is time to a high-1:24.
Honda’s Miguel Duhamel spent most of the day working on the set-up of his Supersport Honda CBR600RR. Duhamel said he feels his RC51 Superbike is already strong and needs less work. Duhamel’s best Superbike lap time of 1:25.8 was off Mladin’s pace, but Duhamel only rode eight laps on his RC51 Monday.
Duhamel’s teammate Ben Bostrom ran a low-1:25 on his RC51. It is his first time riding at Road Atlanta in four years.
Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Steve Rapp tested both his 2002 Suzuki GSX-R1000 and his new 2003-model Suzuki GSX-R1000 Formula Xtreme racebikes and found his older bike more comfortable and better handling on the first day of the test.
Eric Bostrom worked to dial in new chassis parts and get both his Kawasaki ZX-7RRs set-up identically.
The test marks the first time that the AMA riders have been to Road Atlanta since a new configuration for turn three was added. The riders had mixed reactions to the course change Monday, and most riders said they needed to spend more time riding the revised track before deciding whether or not the change was for the better.
There were no crashes or serious on-track incidents during the first day of the test.
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By David Swarts
The WERA Sportsman regional race event scheduled to take place at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama April 18-20 has been canceled due to community pressure over noise from the facility. The WERA race would have been the first motorcycle race ever at the state of the art, $54-million facility.
“We got a call from them at 4:00 p.m. Saturday (April 12) during our National Endurance event at Carolina Motorsports Park telling us our event was canceled,” Evelyne Clarke, President and CEO of WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, Inc. told Roadracingworld.com Monday. “It is Easter weekend, and they are up against a lot of neighborhood pressure over noise. I think they (the track) are setting a very bad precedent. The people who shut them down, now they know they can shut them down.”
Clarke said WERA tried negotiating with the track by proposing quiet time hours on Sunday, as used at other racetracks, and even offered to not start any race engines until after noon on Sunday, but WERA efforts to save the event were unsuccessful.
WERA had 155 racers pre-entered for the inaugural Barber event, which is usually 30 percent of an actual race event turnout, according to Clarke. With each of the projected 325 racers entering an average of 2.1 races for a total 1085 race entries, WERA stands to lose a great deal of money over the cancellation.
“It is huge for us, very, very difficult,” said Clarke, who added she and her staff were in the process of personally calling each pre-entered racer to inform them of the cancellation and discuss refunds and credits.
Barber Motorsports Park management is trying to give WERA another date during the year, says Clarke, but fitting it into the WERA race schedule will be difficult.
The WERA National event scheduled for September 12-14 at Barber Motorsports Park is “still a go,” according to Clarke.
The Team Hammer Advanced Riding School and Talent Search clinic event scheduled for Tuesday, April 22 is still scheduled to take place.
The AMA Superbike season finale, scheduled for September 19-21 at Barber Motorsports Park, could not be confirmed with AMA Pro Racing at post time.
Calls seeking comment from Barber Motorsports Park were unreturned at post time.
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By Beth Wyse
Tray Batey continued his winning streak in the WERA National Challenge Series, taking three victories in the second round of the season, held at Carolina Motorsports Park. Batey won 750cc Superstock on his Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R750, Heavyweight Twins on his Suzuki TL-R1000, and Pirelli Formula One on a Suzuki GSX-R1000.
David Weber kept Batey from breaking away from the field in 750cc Superstock, keeping the same pace for the ten-lap race. Weber finished second on his Suzuki GSX-R750.
In Heavyweight Twins, Batey built an early lead that diminished when he ran off track due to fluid spilled in a turn. Bradley Champion was able to close in on his Aprilia Mille but could never pass Batey for the win.
Batey’s third victory came easier than the first two, as he pulled away from the rest of the Formula One field early and was never challenged.
Vesrah Suzuki’s Mark Junge earned two wins. His first came in Open Superstock, where he got his Suzuki GSX-R1000 out front early and pulled away. Junge’s second victory was in 600cc Superstock on the Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R600. Junge jumped the start, but it was red flagged when four riders crashed in turn one on the first lap. None of the riders were seriously injured, but oil had to be cleared from the track. On the restart, Junge took the lead and held on for the win.
David Weber took his first expert win in 600cc Superbike, riding the XT Racing Suzuki GSX-R600. Weber followed Moore for most of the race, finally passing for the lead on the final lap.
Moore held off Weber two races later, when he won 750cc Superbike on his Suzuki GSX-R750. Moore was able to put a comfortable gap between himself and Weber and held the lead the entire time.
Bradley Champion continued to dominate Lightweight Twins. He put his Suzuki SV650 far ahead of the field as usual, and Jeff Walker and Martin Musil trailed in second and third, also riding SV650s.
In 125cc GP, Steve Genter took the checkered flag first on his Honda RS125. The field was sparse, with four bikes starting and only three finishing.
Derek King won Formula Two on his TSR Honda 250, beating Walker and Genter easily.
The final four races of the day had to be shortened to six laps because of numerous red flags and long breaks between races to clean up fluid on the track.
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By Beth Wyse
Vesrah Suzuki took their second consecutive win in the Dunlop/WERA National Endurance Series in round two, a four-hour race held at Carolina Motorsports Park. Mark Junge, Tray Batey and John Jacobi shared the Suzuki GSX-R1000.
The Suzuki GSX-R600 of Army of Darkness finished second overall and first in Mediumweight Superbike, four laps down, with riders Sam Fleming, Mark Crozier and Jeff Walker. Team Xtreme was third, with Billy Ethridge and Mark Edwards on a Suzuki GSX-R1000.
Batey took the lead at the start of the race, with Greg Moore on the Team Xtreme II Suzuki GSX-R750 keeping his pace in the opening laps. Batey was forced to ride faster to pull away. His lead grew as Army of Darkness moved into second.
Team Xtreme had to hold off Team Velocity Racing, who finished just 9.951 seconds behind them. Team Velocity was fourth overall and first in Mediumweight Superstock. Their Suzuki GSX-R600 was ridden by Chuck Ivey, Steve Breckenridge and Reuben Frankenfield.
The Bluemoto/Jeff Wyler Suzuki GSX-R750 of Mike Scruggs and Jeff Muskopf won Heavyweight Superstock. The team finished fifth overall.
Despite crashing in the final hour of the race, Tight Squeeze II won Lightweight Superbike on a Suzuki SV650. Chris Normand and Martin Musil shared the bike.
There were no red flags during the race.
RESULTS:
1. Vesrah Suzuki (Mark Junge/Tray Batey/John Jacobi), Suz GSX-R1000, Heavyweight Superbike, 143 laps
2. Army of Darkness (Sam Fleming/Mark Crozier/Jeff Walker), Suz GSX-R600, Mediumweight Superbike, 139 laps
3. Team Xtreme (Mark Edwards/Billy Ethridge), Suz GSX-R1000, Heavyweight Superbike, 136 laps
4. Team Velocity Racing (Chuck Ivey/Steve Breckenridge/Reuben Frankenfield), Suz GSX-R600, Mediumweight Superstock, 136 laps
5. BlueMoto/Jeff Wyler (Mike Scruggs/Jeff Muskopf), Suz GSX-R750, Heavyweight Superstock, 135 laps
6. Velocity Crew Racing (Kevin Perkins/Paul Youngman/John Joseph), Suz GSX-R600, Mediumweight Superbike, 134 laps
7. Neighbor of the Beast (Melissa Berkoff/Scott Fisher/Roman Kilgore), Yam YZF R6, Mediumweight Superstock, 134 laps
8. Ricochet Racing (Brian Suffridge/Lee Fields/Greg Ford/C.R. Gittere), Suz GSX-R600, Mediumweight Superstock, 134 laps
9. Team Chicago (Dan Schmitt/Phil Caudill), Yam YZF R6, Mediumweight Superstock, 132 laps
10. Taylor Knapp-Ray C’s Racing (Dave Knapp/Fritz Kling), Yam YZF R6, Mediumweight Superstock, 132 laps
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
British Superbike Race One Results:
1. Michael Rutter, Ducati, 25 laps, 28:09.817
2. Shane Byrne, Ducati, -5.156 seconds
3. John Reynolds, Suzuki, -11.707 seconds
4. Steve Plater, Honda, -18.229 seconds
5. Glen Richards, Kawasaki, -19.146 seconds
6. John Crawford, Ducati, -19.195 seconds
7. Paul Young, Yamaha, -19.930 seconds
8. Gary Mason, Yamaha, -20.909 seconds
9. Scott Smart, Kawasaki, -27.388 seconds
10. Jon Kirkham, Yamaha, -27.860 seconds
Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, DNF
Mark Heckles, Honda, DNF
Seam Emmett, Ducati, DNF
Steve Hislop, Yamaha, DNF
Dean Ellison, Ducati, DNF
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
British Superbike Race Two Results:
1. Shane Byrne, Ducati, 20 laps, 22:18.701
2. Sean Emmett, Ducati, -9.360 seconds
3. John Reynolds, Suzuki, -14.400 seconds
4. Gary Mason, Yamaha, -17.795 seconds
5. Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, -23.052 seconds
6. John Crawford, Ducati, -24.230 seconds
7. Mark Heckles, Honda, -28.751 seconds
8. Steve Plater, Honda, -29.128 seconds
9. Paul Young, Yamaha, -35.267 seconds
10. Scott Smart, Kawasaki, -35.593 seconds
Michael Rutter, Ducati, DNF
Glen Richards, Kawasaki, DNF
Steve Hislop, Yamaha, DNF
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
24 Hours of Le Mans Final Results:
1. Castrol Suzuki 1 (Morrison/Dobe/Vincent), Suzuki GSX-R1000, 817 laps, 2217.34 miles*
2. Castrol Suzuki 2 (Bayle/Gimbert/Dussauge), Suzuki GSX-R1000, 815 laps, 2211.91 miles
3. Free Bike Performance 12 (Donischal/Protat/Gomez), Yamaha YZF-R7, 801 laps, 2173.91 miles
4. Igol/ART Kawasaki (DaCosta/Moreira/Devoyan), Kawasaki ZX-9R, 799 laps, 2168.49 miles
5. Team Dap Moto 91 (Lerat-Vanstaen/Jond/Cortinovis), Suzuki, 797 laps, 2163.06 miles
6. GMT 94 (Scarnato/Holon/Jerman), Yamaha YZF-R1, 784 laps, 2127.78 miles
7. JLC Moto Ulteamatum 45 (Baratin/Thuret/Cheron), Suzuki, 784 laps + 15.027 seconds, 2127.78 miles
8. Team Motostart Racing 86 (Boutin/Briere/Loustalet), Yamaha, 783 laps, 2125.06 miles
9. National Motos (Jond/Bonhuil/Ulmann), Honda CBR954RR, 779 laps, 2114.21 miles
10. Junior Team Suzuki 72 (Dietrich/Tangre/Bovan), Suzuki, 778 laps, 2111.49 miles
*New record distance, beat old record of 2109.24 miles set in 1996
Copyright 2003, www.mcnews.com.au, used with permission:
By Trevor Hedge
www.mcnews.com.au
2003 Australian Superbike Championship – Round 1 – Sunday Report
After taking pole position in both the Superbike and Supersport classes during qualifying on Saturday, Newcastle rider Kevin Curtain then continued his domination to take a perfect record of wins from the opening round of the Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championship in South Australia today.
The 36 year old Nikon Yamaha rider recorded three from three in the premier Superbike class and then backed that up with the same record in the three Supersport races. He also leaves the 2.6km Mallala circuit with lap records in both classes. He lowered reigning champion Shawn Giles’ Production Superbike lap record from 1-minute-08.08secs down to a new mark of 1-minute-07.88 seconds. Curtain already held the Supersport lap record but lowered it to the new record of 1m09.73 on the 600cc Nikon Yamaha R6.
Curtain is a four time Australian champion, the only rider to have held Australian Championship Titles in three different classes. Production Superbike (1998), Supersport (1996, 2000) and 250 Production (1995). Not bad for an exhaust fitter who never went road racing until the ripe old age of 27. Curtain is now, of course, a full time professional racer, and if this seasons early form is anything to go by, he could be the first man to win both a Superbike and Supersport Championship in the same year.
But Kevin is already eyeing bigger and better things. “At the moment I’m working on trying to get another ride somewhere overseas next year and to do that you’ve got to win.
“I don’t want to relax back in Australia, the competition while at a high level it’s not the same as at world level. So when you’re in this environment you can get lazy and that’s not what I want to do.
“So I’m just going to push myself to the max’ when ever I get on a bike in Australia.
“I’m working really hard at the moment and I’m not doing it easy but I’m just managing to keep in front of them and that’s all I’ve got to do.”
Young Victorian Craig Coxhell (Suzuki) took second place overall in the Superbike class after some titanic battles with his team-mate Shawn Giles and Daniel Stauffer (Yamaha).
This is the opening round of five for the national road racing series which this year also visits Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales.
The Championship next heads to Phillip Island for round two at Victoria’s magnificent Phillip Island circuit on May 16-18.
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
British Superbike Dunlop Super 12 (Superpole) Results:
1. Shane Byrne, Ducati, 1:05.875
2. Michael Rutter, Ducati, 1:05.962
3. Sean Emmett, Ducati, 1:06.284
4. John Reynolds, Suzuki, 1:06.429
5. Glen Richards, Kawasaki, 1:06.667
6. John Crawford, Ducati, 1:06.832
7. Dean Ellison, Ducati, 1:06.931
8. Mark Heckles, Honda, 1:06.969
9. Steve Hislop, Yamaha, 1:06.988
10. Gary Mason, Yamaha, 1:07.091
11. Steve Plater, Honda, 1:07.134
12. Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, crashed in Superpole
British Supersport Qualifying Results:
1. Stuart Easton, Ducati, 1:08.720
2. Leon Haslam, Ducati, 1:08.724
3. Simon Andrews, Yamaha, 1:09.168
4. Karl Harris, Honda, 1:09.250
5. Tom Sykes, Yamaha, 1:09.473
6. Rob Frost, Kawasaki, 1:09.491
7. Adrian Coates, 1:09.570
8. John Crockford, 1:09.573
9. Michael Laverty, 1:09.592
10. John McGuiness, 1:09.655
13. Craig Jones, Triumph
15. Jim Moodie, Triumph
